Monorailway system.



No. 891,882. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908.- W. D. VALENTINE.

MONORAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1907.

\ INVENTOR.

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No. 8913882. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908. W. D. VALENTINE. MONQRAILWAY SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED NOV 14, 1907 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR.

WITNESSES.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER D. VALENTINE, OF ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL RAPID TRANSIT COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

MONORAILWAY SYSTEM.

Application filed November 14, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALTER D. VALEN- TINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Monorailway Systems, of whlch the following is a specification.

My invention relates to' that class of rail ways which, from the employment of a single rail, are sometimes called monorailway systems.

In a railway using a single rail the advantages of increased speed and decreased cost of construction, maintenance and operation have hitherto been outweighed by problems of equilibrium and derailment.

It is the object of my invention to successfully meet and solve these problems, thereby securing the desired advantages of speed with safety, and economy.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the car-trucks, its wheels, and the rail, as I shall hereinafter fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a top lan, broken and in part sectioned horizonta ly, showing the truck in the car-body. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of the truck and rail, the wheels, axles and gears being in elevation.

1 represents any suitable form of substructure, elevated or otherwise, upon which is laid, in suitable manner, the single or monorail 2. This rail is made of pro er strength, its construction, whether rollec as a single body or built up of suitable sections being immaterial to the present application; and I have, therefore, for the sake of illustration, shown it as a rolled inte ral rail. Its form, however, as far as regarc s its head is material, and, as will be seen clearly in Fig. 3, this head has a quadrilateral contour, so disposed as to resent two anterior inclined treads 3, whie converge upwardly, and two osterior inclined treads 4, which converge c ownwardly to meet the web of the rail.

5 is the wheel-frame of the car-truck. In this frame are mounted the axles 6 of the upper wheels 7, and the axles S of the lower wheels 9. The axles 6 are parallel to the anterior treads 3 of the rail 2, and the axles 8 are parallel to the posterior rail-treads 4. All t e Wheels have unflanged treads, and all Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 1908.

Serial No. 402,077.

are of the same diameter. The wheels 7 are arranged to travel on the treads 3 and the wheels 9 are disposed to travel on'the treads 4, but the relative positions of the wheels, in their grouping about the rail-treads, is such that in normal travel and equilibrium, the lower wheels 9 do not contact with, but revolve clear of the treads 4, as shown in Fig. 3, the weight of the car being then carried by the upper wheels 7 on the treads 3.

10 is the driving shaft receiving motion from any suitable source of power. Upon this shaft is a worm 11 which meshes with pinions 12 on the axles6, whereby the wheels 7 are driven in unison and at the same speed. The axles 6 transmit motion to the axles 8 by means of the bevel gears 13, so that the lower wheels 9 are driven in unison with each other and with the upper wheels and at the same speed; all the gears being constructed and timed to these ends of unitary driving at equal speed.

In the corners of the wheel-frame 5 are seats 14 in which are springs 15. Upon these springs rest the pedestals 16 of the truck superstructure frame 17 and centrally pivoted on this frame is the bolster 18. This bolster, as shown in Fig.1, has a widened inner end which is secured to a wall plate 19 in the car-body 20, the forward end of the bolster being secured to the front wall 21 of the ear-body.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the wheels 7 and 9, grouped about the rail-head,

as shown, form a stable support and lock to maintain the equilibrium of the car and to prevent derailment. As stated, the upper wheels 7 normally bear the weight of and drive the car, the lower wheels then revolving clear of their rail-treads. But when the upper wheels or either of them, from any cause, leave their rail treads, the lower ones or either of them at once contact with their treads, and as these lower wheels are positively driven, in unison with and at the 1. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging poste rior treads, and a truck-frame having inclined wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads.

2. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, a truck-frame having inclined wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads, and means for positively driving each of said wheels.

3. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, a truck-frame having inclined wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads, and means for positively driving all of said wheels in unison.

4. I11 a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, a truck-frame having inclined wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads, and means for positively driving said wheels in unison and at the same peripheral speed.

5. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, a truck-frame having inclined wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads,'said wheels being of the same diameter, and means for positively driving all of said wheels in unison and at the same speed.

6. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, and a truck-frame having inclined wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads, the lower wheels having a slight clearance from the posterior treads when the upper wheels roll upon their anterior treads, and vice versa.

7. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, a truck-frame having inclined wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads, the lower wheels having a slight clearance from the posterior treads when the upper wheels roll upon their anterior treads, and vice versa, and means for positively driving all of said wheels.

8. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads when the upper wheels roll upon their anterior treads, and vice versa, and means for positively driving all of said wheels in unison and at equal peripheral speed.

9. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, a truck-frame having mounted therein four inclined axles with wheels grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads, a driving shaft, power transmitting connections therefrom to drive the axles of the upper wheels, and power transmitting connections from the axles of the upper wheels to drive the axles of the lower wheels.

10. In a monorailway system, the combination of a rail having'a head formed with opposing upwardly converging anterior treads and opposing downwardly converging posterior treads, a truck-frame having mounted therein four inclined axles with wheels all of equal diameter, grouped about and adapted to roll upon said treads, a driving shaft, power transmitting connections therefrom to drive the axles of the upper wheels, and power transmitting connections from the axles of the upper wheels to drive the axles of the lower wheels, all of said.

wheels being driven at equal speed.

11. In a monorailway system and in combination with a rail having a head with inclined anterior and posterior treads and wheels grouped about and engaging said treads, a frame carrying said wheels and having springs seated in its corners, a superstructure frame seated on said springs, and a bolster plate pivoted on said superstructure frame.

12. In a monorailway system and in combination with a rail having a head with i11- clined anterior and posterior treads and wheels grouped about and engaging said treads, a frame carrying said wheels and having springs seated in its corners, a superstructure frame seated on said springs, a bolster plate pivoted on said superstructure frame, said bolster plate having a widened rear end, and a car-body having walls to which the ends of the bolster plate are secured.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER D. VALENTINE.

WVitnesses:

N. A. AcKER, D. B. RICHARDS. 

